MakeUseOf

I replaced my entire multi-room setup with one Spotify feature

Jack Mitchell — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 23:00:13 GMT

My home music setup grew with the constant march of technological innovation until it dawned on me just how complicated things had become. My music streaming devices include a smart speaker, streaming dongles, a Bluetooth soundbar and subwoofer, and a project studio linked to a computer. Moving music from one room to the next meant disconnecting one device and connecting to another, hoping Bluetooth pairs correctly and cueing up my audio again.

This Android app shrinks files automatically before I share them

Oluwademilade Afolabi — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 19:31:12 GMT

Here's the loop I got tired of: record a clip on my phone, try to send it, watch the messaging app either refuse the file outright or crush it into a smeared 480p mess on its own terms. Or take the other route: open a video editor, reduce the video file size by lowering its bitrate or resolution, find the export in my gallery, share that, then remember to delete it later. Which I never do, so my storage fills with files named VID_20260714_compress_final_2.mp4.

The New PocketBook Era Lite e-reader reveals a killer feature Kindle still doesn’t have

Sara Heritage — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 18:15:34 GMT

The PocketBook Era Lite is a new 7-inch black-and-white e-reader with an E INK Carta 1300 e-paper display, designed as a reading-focused alternative to the standard PocketBook Era. It’s cheaper and all about reading, going head-to-head with the Kindle Paperwhite, and one huge game-changer for library lovers — it has Libby built in.

I stopped reformatting USB sticks — now one drive boots every OS I need

Tashreef Shareef — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 17:30:13 GMT

I keep a portable PC diagnostic USB with the necessary tools and often prefer Rufus for its stability. However, the challenge with Rufus is that you need to keep reformatting USB sticks when you want to switch an OS, which is not ideal if you want to carry a multiboot USB installer.

Vertical GPU mounting solved my biggest concern and created another

Dipan Saha — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 17:00:12 GMT

There’s more than one way of mounting a graphics card in a standard PC case. While the more traditional horizontal mount exists, vertical mounts have slowly been gaining traction and have existed for a while now.

I almost disabled Windows 11's Memory Integrity for more FPS — then I learned what it actually does

Afam Onyimadu — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 16:00:12 GMT

Have you ever been told to open Core Isolation and disable Memory Integrity? It's a widely talked-about way of reclaiming lost frames and genuinely sounds like the ultimate free upgrade. I was just about to follow this recommendation when I paused and dug a bit deeper. What started as a search for a few extra frames quickly turned into a lesson in Windows security. Disabling this feature may involve trading foundational kernel security for benefits that wouldn't be evident on your system.

6 flawless shows that stopped at one season — and lost nothing by never coming back

Dan Selcke — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:30:13 GMT

There are some TV shows that seem to go on forever. Series like The Simpsons, Family Guy, and Doctor Who have all been running for decades. Far more often, TV shows will run for a few seasons and then retire themselves. And there are some shows that only get to go once around the track.

My DNS has a weird rule that’s surprisingly good at blocking scams

Pankil Shah — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 15:00:12 GMT

Most DNS resolvers offer good protection against known scam sites. But “known” is the catch. The ones that usually slip through are the ones too new to be on any list. That's mostly not a problem with NextDNS because it has a feature that fixes that gap. It works on a simple rule that blocks any domain that’s younger than 30 days.

My Obsidian vault was a mess until I stopped using folders

Saikat Basu — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:30:12 GMT

My Obsidian vault used to be a mess of nested folders. I had a system, or so I thought. Notes about books, work, and random ideas each got their own folder, and I felt organized. Before going flat, I actually tried the famous PARA method (Projects, Areas, Resources, Archives). I spent more time agonizing over whether a note was an "Area" or a "Resource" than actually writing. That was the first clue my folder system needed a lazier approach.

3 Android file managers that make the stock one look broken

Abhijith N Arjunan — Mon, 27 Jul 2026 14:00:13 GMT

File managers are undoubtedly one of the most used apps on our Android phones, and most stock file managers work just fine! However, while I admit that Files by Google or a proprietary file manager is decent, I have stopped opening them on my smartphone — because they don't cut it. On the contrary, it is easier than ever to find better Android file managers that make the stock one look broken, under-equipped, and just not enough. Here are three such file managers you can count on when the stock one disappoints.